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That, ladies and gentlemen, is a lot of new Games on Demand. We've got three new ones this week and a price drop. As for the new titles, we've got a platformer, military shooter and hardcore skating simulation in Prince of Persia, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway and Skate 2, respectively. Prince of Persia and Skate 2 each run $19.99 in the US, while Brothers in Arms will set you back $29.99. Meanwhile, Rockstar's Table Tennis has seen a 10 dollar price drop to $19.99. As always, pricing and availability vary by region.

You might think it derisive to call Sports Champions (working title) the Wii Sports of PlayStation Move, but it's really intended as a compliment. Although the collection of sports-themed games are relatively simple, they adequately highlight the Move's motion-sensing capabilities and, most importantly, how they're distinguished from those offered by the Wii (something that another Move game, The Shoot, did not do). Like Wii Sports, Sports Champions seems good at selling you on the hardware's abilities -- and what they might mean in more elaborate games.

The Gladiator Duel sub-game is a simple affair of blocking and attacking (your character moves towards the opponent automatically), but the Move will take into account the height of your swings and the positioning of your shield (generated by a second Move controller). It'll also sense distance -- if you don't hold your weapon arm back, it'll swing into your own shield to deleterious effect. Aside from swinging and blocking, you can also move both arms upwards to activate a jumping attack, or shuffle the controllers to the side in order to roll out of the way from an incoming strike. Basic stuff, but natural enough to not come across as a tacked-on gesture.

Table Tennis was more promising, and easily bested the Wii's equivalent. Your paddle's angle and area of exposure is almost instantly determined by how you're holding the controller. The Move's weight, coupled with the game's quick response and predictable physics, made every swing feel ... just right. It'll be a shame if a table tennis game turns out to be one of the best launch games for Move, but at least it'll stand out as one of the best of its ilk. That's a win, right?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gladiatormoveplaystation-movesonysports-championstable-tennisWed, 10 Mar 2010 23:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/18/wii-sports-resort-features-golf-and-table-tennis/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/18/wii-sports-resort-features-golf-and-table-tennis/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/18/wii-sports-resort-features-golf-and-table-tennis/#commentsNintendo of Japan's new commercials for the Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort use some very slick high-speed camera footage to illustrate the realistic motions used in, among other things, table tennis and golf. New in-game footage found in the commercial reveals that two of Resort's new minigames will be retreads of things seen in previous titles -- table tennis was covered in Wii Play, and golf, of course, appeared in the original Wii Sports.

Nintendo must be very confident that MotionPlus improves these games significantly. We still don't know how many games will be included in Resort, but if two of them are going to be encore presentations, there had better be a lot of games. We totally understand Nintendo wanting to take a second crack at table tennis, we must admit, because Wii Play's version is not where it's at.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casualgolfminigamesmotionplustable-tenniswii-sports-resortMon, 18 May 2009 13:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/vc-monday-madness-wiiware-and-vc-team-up-yet-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/vc-monday-madness-wiiware-and-vc-team-up-yet-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/vc-monday-madness-wiiware-and-vc-team-up-yet-again/#comments
Now, this is something we can get used to. Both WiiWare titles and Virtual Console titles releasing together, side-by-side? Totally awesome, if you ask us. And, on top of it, both of Nintendo's services are hooking us all up with some solid downloads today. With it being a holiday and all, we're glad Nintendo is providing us with some stuff to do during our downtime.

Virtual Console games available for download this week:

City Connection (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)

Metal Slug (NEOGEO, 1 - 2 players, 900 Wii Points)

WiiWare games available for download this week:

Dr. Mario Online Rx (1 - 4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)

Family Table Tennis (1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)

As always, be sure to stop back here later for our video wrap-up of today's Virtual Console releases, as well as a review for Family Table Tennis. For those of you interested in Dr. Mario Online Rx's features, give our review a read.

Pssssh. Come on, now. Why would you do that when all the cool kids (read: not cool kids) are using these? After all, how can you go wrong with a "Ping-Pong Bat," which are currently being sold over at DealExtreme for the random price of $16.14.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Ping-pongPing-pong-batTable-tennisWii-PlayThu, 25 Oct 2007 22:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/24/no-surprise-online-not-included-in-table-tennis/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/24/no-surprise-online-not-included-in-table-tennis/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/24/no-surprise-online-not-included-in-table-tennis/#comments
By now, we should have learned never to expect online multiplayer, or really, any online capabilities at all in Wii games, and yet still we hope. Is an online tennis-type sports game too much to ask for? Apparently, yes; Rockstar has confirmed that their Wii version of Table Tennis will not feature online multiplayer.

So what gives? Why is Rockstar's Table Tennis port lacking the online mode that graced Xbox Live? "All the focus is going into making it the most advanced control system on the Wii," said Rockstar reps, in what has to be the most disappointing explanation of the month. It's not like the two are mutually exclusive. The real question here is who's at fault -- Nintendo or Rockstar? -- but we may never know if it's the Wii's basic online infrastructure or lazy developers looking to put out ports as quickly as possible and using controls and "family-oriented" play as an excuse to avoid extra work.

The upcoming Top Spin Tennis doesn't look like it's set to feature online play, either; every time we see the game mentioned, the focus is on that "family-oriented" play, which, in our experiences, means forget connecting with anyone outside your home. We may be waiting a long time to take some sort of tennis or table tennis game online at this rate.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2k-gamesmultiplayeronlineRockstarTable-TennisTableTennisTop-Spin-TennisTopSpinTennisWi-FiMon, 24 Sep 2007 18:10:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/12/rockstar-presents-table-tennis-screens/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/12/rockstar-presents-table-tennis-screens/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/12/rockstar-presents-table-tennis-screens/#comments
Well, these screens certainly pick us up, considering we were downright appalled at the first footage of the game. Now, these screens, well they tell a very different story. From a graphical standpoint, we are very much digging what we see, but with a game like this, until we can get it into our hands and give it a good play, we won't know either way.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>rockstartable-tennistabletennisWed, 12 Sep 2007 15:37:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/rockstar-table-tennis-backhands-over-to-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/rockstar-table-tennis-backhands-over-to-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/rockstar-table-tennis-backhands-over-to-wii/#commentsFiled under: Nintendo Wii, SportsThe nightmare of living in a Wii Play world of ping pong is almost to an end as Rockstar has announced that their Xbox 360 darling, Table Tennis, will be making its way over to Nintendo's world of waggle.

As light on information as it gets, Rockstar's release is but a simple announcement and assurance that this will take -- say it along with us now -- full advantage of the Wii remote and its unique features. Okay, Rockstar founder Sam Houser really said, "a new audience can now experience a game that is beautifully designed and impossible to put down," but we know what he meant.

With a release planned for this Fall, we can only hope that we have enough time to make our way over to Japan and learn those secret paddle positions we've heard so much about.

Not sure what to expect? Check out pictures from the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa stops. Not helping? Check out the featured artists who'll be, uh, arting at the event. Still not sure? There's going to be Table Tennis tournaments. Yup, the show isn't just about the uber-hip art world, but it's also about the uber-nerdy video game world and, try as Rockstar may to meld the two, we're like oil and vinegar, baby! We'll come together for little events like this, then be on our separate ways, back to our artist's communes/parent's basements respectively.

As soon as I can figure out what time things are supposed to go down, I'll update the post and let y'all know.Philly Weekly has a writeup of the event listing 7pm as the start time and $0 as the cost. Anyone planning on attending? Want to meet there and beat my ass at Table Tennis?

Around one in ten males and one in two hundred females are unable to discern the difference between some or all colors that other people can distinguish. Like most other people with the disability, I've been colorblind (or, to use the politically correct term, have had color sight deficiency) since birth. I find it hard, and sometimes impossible, to tell the difference between shades of red, green and brown, blue and purple and oranges and yellows. As my optician told me when I was young, this disability means that I can't work in a paint factory or be a pilot. What he didn't tell me was that I'd have trouble playing friggin' computer games!

As you probably know, the Xbox 360 features several colored buttons. Usually I can tell the difference between these buttons (the problem isn't so bad that I can't tell the difference between the equivalent of red and green at traffic lights). However, there's one game that has caused a problem: Rockstar's Table Tennis. A fundamental part of the gameplay is being able to respond to the opposing player's spin on the ball. This is represented by one of the colors which are also found on the gamepad. Blue for left spin, red for right spin, green for forward spin and yellow for back spin. Unfortunately, I can barely tell the difference between the red, green and yellow on a standard definition display. On a high definition screen the green and yellow are still nearly identical to my eyes.

This isn't usually much of a problem during normal play (besides, I can always just press the green button), but on the training levels where you are taught how to spin the ball, I found the task physically impossible. I literally had to guess which spin the computer was giving the ball! Table Tennis has the hardest training level of any game, at least for me. Since completing the training levels is an Xbox 360 achievement, it's also possibly the hardest achievement there is. It took me around 3-4 hours and dozens of reattempts to get the 5 points given to you after you complete training.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlindColor sightColor sight deficiencyColor visionColorblindColorblindnessColorSightColorSightDeficiencyColorVisionDisabilitiesDisabilityDisabledMicrosoftRockstar GamesRockstar-San-DiegoRockstar-Table-TennisRockstarGamesRockstar\'s Table TennisRockstar\'sTableTennisSightSportsTable TennisTable-TennisTableTennisXbox-360Sun, 30 Jul 2006 13:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/26/table-tennis-demo-now-available-on-live-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/26/table-tennis-demo-now-available-on-live-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/26/table-tennis-demo-now-available-on-live-marketplace/#commentsFiled under: Microsoft Xbox 360, SportsIf your eyebrow is still in a raised position with regards to Rockstar's foray into the explosive, prostitute-less world of Table Tennis, be sure to grab the newly served demo from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Coming in at 526MB, the curtailed code should give you fine opportunity to beat innocent balls senseless and engage in more back-and-forth whacking than a Sopranos episode.

Feel free to gawk at the shiny graphics and the ball physics, but don't make the crucial mistake of forgetting to press the green button. You can be sure that Conrad's sister will capitalize and promptly crush your ego in the palm of her adorable hand.

Update: Major Nelson made this addition to his blog:
"Hey, I forgot to post that this is a limited time demo. (sorry about that) That means that you can only download it and play it until the end of August. After that...the title will not work, even if you have already downloaded it! So get it and play it while it lasts!"

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Grand Theft AutoGrandTheftAutoMicrosoftMSFTRockstarRockstar GamesRockstar-San-DiegoRockstar-Table-TennisRockstarGamesSportsTable TennisTable-TennisTableTennisXBLXBL MarketplaceXblMarketplaceXbox 360 DemoXbox MarketplaceXbox-360Xbox360DemoXboxMarketplaceWed, 26 Jul 2006 20:55:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/gtaiv-will-share-the-table-tennis-engine/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/gtaiv-will-share-the-table-tennis-engine/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/gtaiv-will-share-the-table-tennis-engine/#commentsFiled under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Sports, BusinessThere's a rumor floating around these here internets suggesting that the next iteration of Rockstar's money-printing machine known as Grand Theft Auto will be using their own in-house RAGE engine (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine engine), recently seen in Table Tennis. Gamespot's Rumor Control traces the rumor to a TotalVideoGames.com post which mentioned, but neglected to link to, an MTV News report from over a month ago.

That report stated, "The Rockstar reps explained that the game was running on RAGE, the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine. This is the graphics technology gamers are to expect from future Rockstar games, including the next GTA." I contacted MTV News' Stephen Totilo to see just how definite this was, and he returned, "I met with Rockstar publicists and producers for Table Tennis twice prior to the game's release. Both times they volunteered that RAGE would serve as the engine for all next-gen Rockstar games. 'Including GTA?' I asked both times. Including GTA they said both times."

So there you have it folks. Following EA's acquisition of GTA's old-engine, Renderware, Rockstar has went and made their own. Sure, Table Tennis looks great but really, anything's better than the dated engine they're using now.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BoothCanterburyCanterbury, KentCanterbury,KentKentMicrosoftRockstarRockstar GamesRockstar Games Presents Table TennisRockstar-San-DiegoRockstar-Table-TennisRockstarGamesRockstarGamesPresentsTableTennisRockstar\'s Table TennisRockstar\'sTableTennisSportsTable TennisTable-TennisTableTennisTennisVirgin MegastoreVirginMegastoreXbox 360Xbox 360 boothXbox-360Xbox360Xbox360BoothThu, 15 Jun 2006 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/23/metareview-rockstar-games-presents-table-tennis-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/23/metareview-rockstar-games-presents-table-tennis-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/23/metareview-rockstar-games-presents-table-tennis-xbox-360/#commentsFiled under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sports, MetareviewsWhen Rockstar announced their top secret new game, gamers were floored that the San Diego branch of the house that GTA built had traded in their baseball bats for ping pong paddles with Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis. Big question is, how did they do with this smaller-scale, (relatively) budget-priced title?

According to the reviews that are beginning to appear, pretty darned well. The complaints focus on the title's sparse feature set while the praise focuses on the Xbox Live integration and the tight, elegant gameplay. Seriously, read through the reviews if you have a particular affinity for the words "subtle" and "nuanced." According to the reviews, Table Tennis provides a streamlined sports sim that's short on features but full of subtle gameplay, reflected in the (next-gen) budget price of $39.99.

IGN (78/100) - "If you want a table tennis game that's strictly focused on great mechanics and addictive gameplay, but that lacks a reasonable single-player mode and is shockingly sparse, Rockstar Presents Table Tennis is your game."

GamePro (85/100) - "The best thing about the gameplay is that it's all about reflex and intuition -- accessible to all, but hard to master online competitive play. Setting up power shots, killer topspin, and hitting the corners of the table becomes easy in short amount of time. This game is an instant classic and is guaranteed to please the masses."

Eurogamer (90/100) - "It's the sign of a great sports game when you can't think of anything you'd want to change in the next version. It doesn't need another version."

Rockstar's second-floor party pad sits at the top of a long flight of stairs just off of Bowery in Manhattan's Chinatown neighborhood. As I climbed those stairs on my way to an invitational afternoon of beer, food and Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis this Saturday, I half expected the door to burst open and a bunch of clowns to yell "April Fools!"

It just didn't make much sense that famously reticent, infamously too-cool-for-the-media Rockstar had actually invited members of the press to see their latest game, nevermind a lowly blogger. But for once, they're probably happy to be talking about something other than whichever version of their marquee Grand Theft Auto series has been released, been hacked, been banned, been recalled, been reissued, been whatevered.

Instead, when the door to the flat opened I was greeted by a bevvy of Rockstar marketers, three huge HD displays, and three Xbox 360s spinning a pre-release version of Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis. Turns out the game is no joke and that Rockstar's serious about seeing that the game sees the exposure they believe it deserves.